LOCKER ROOM TALK: Caleb's 3 Ways to Get Physical

New month, new weather (no more snow!), new goals; the transition from grey skies to warmer months ahead can definitely be a motivator for summer season. If you’re striving to get back into the strongest physical version of yourself, the key is BALANCE. As someone who loves being on the bike all day every day, Caleb has three hot tips to balance out spin with other workouts so that your body is happy!

"Spin is a good start, but you can't burn yourself out with it... People give up on spin cold turkey because they only did spin."

Riding will get you toned, but there are so many other ingredients that go into the strong body recipe. I like to think of a healthy lifestyle like baking a cake (and lets make it gluten-free so I can eat it!). You can’t just add flour to a baking tray, put it in the oven and expect to a cake to bake. A list of ingredients, whether one more or five more, is needed; it’s different for every recipe, just like the ideal workout combo is different for every person and every lifestyle. My top three ingredients are resistance training, yoga and foam rolling; without them, I couldn't show up happy and healthy on that bike!

RESISTANCE TRAINING

THE COMMON QUESTION

"I'm riding, like, 6 days a week. I just don't know how to tone up."

You want to crush those 3 or 5lb weights for a full weight track? Cross train! Focus balancing out spin by complimenting it with resistance training; I wouldn’t be able to push and pull through spin or survive a weights track if I didn’t work on building strength beyond the walls of the spin room. I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing trainers in YEG: Chris Tse from Blitz; Phil Daly from FirstLine training; and Shara Vigneault from SVPT. They don’t just focus on lifting weights, but body form, and work on your weak areas to bring them back stronger then before! Whether it’s with a trainer at one of Edmonton's personal training studios, group classes, or at the gym, resistance training is my top pick to balance out with how many times I ride that bike.

GET BENDY: YOGA

THE COMMON QUESTION

"Yoga? Not for me. I'm not flexible."

Yoga is not just about being flexible, it’s about taking the moment to slow down, love your body and give it an added stretch! And most importantly, try it again! And invite me to go with you! It took me years to find a place I felt comfortable, instructors that I understand and understand my body. So give it another shot, ask questions and be open about anything and everything!

Yoga: it helps me stretch, loosen, and most importantly, breathe. Spin hits us with flashing lights and loud music, but with yoga, I can take time to reflect without my phone and without music; my mind is more at ease, causing my body not to not tense up. As someone who always has to be doing something, be around people, or be listening to music, I’ll fall asleep with headphones in most of the time. Yoga is the one hour where it’s just me, my breathe, my thoughts – nothing else. Pure bliss.When I was first introduced to yoga, I was intimidated. I had know idea what to do with my breathe; even though I had to breathe just like they were telling us to, I ended up not breathing at all and got super light headed. But don’t fear the yoga mat – Experiment! It took me months to find the right class with the right style of yoga that works for me. Stereotypical OMMM yoga isn’t my calling, that’s just not who I am. I need something chill, with light music, light stretches and a few jokes. I’ve committed to Revive and Restore once a week with Dani Parks – she’s incredible. I could be here for hours listing why she is such an inspiring, person, friend, instructor and mom! Her classes are relaxing, as challenging as you make it; you have options of different variations if you want more or less intense of a stress, and wicked mellow jams (Chainsmokers remix got me hooked). Bree Guhle is another amazing instructor – she was the first person that got me into any sort of yoga/stretching routine that I was excited to do! Her classes allow me to not only stretch my body, but challenge my muscles and build strength in areas we ignore in the gym or during spin. I noticed right away doing yoga how tight my hip flexors and strangely enough my ankles were. Bree works with a large number of athletes, so she focuses on doing what’s best for your body, giving you alternative poses to adjust to what your body needs. I leave feeling sweaty, accomplished and energized, ready to hop on the bike for out next ride!

ROLL IT OUT!

A must have in anyone’s gym bag- or a tennis ball for a “softer” touch. I always carry a lacrosse ball with me. It’s the little things, something as simple as a lacrosse ball that’s in my bag. I’ll drive it under a knot on my body – it hurts like hell but releases built up tension. The secret to that final release? Essential oils. I use Saje products all the time to roll on sore muscles. Foam rolling is my necessary to-do thing before bed – I’ll focus more on the big muscle groups, legs, quads, calves and hips. They’re are what I use the most and are usually the tightest for me!

My backpack holds my life - I could literally fit a small child (or Dao!) in it. I like to have as much stuff easily accessible. Here’s what’s in mine:

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